Legislation sponsored on Feb. 27 by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) aims to expose high-cost wasteful spending by the federal government.
“I am slamming the brakes on boondoggles and bringing them to a squealing halt,” said Sen. Ernst last week.
If enacted, the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2025, S. 766, would require an annual report disclosing any government project that is $1 billion over budget or five years behind schedule, according to the text of the proposed bill.
“From moondoggles to off-the-rails projects, Washington can’t seem to ever make the trains run on time or on budget,” Sen. Ernst said. “Bureaucrats always find a way to pay a whole lot more for planes, trains, and automobiles — and just about everything else.”
According to the senator, some of the biggest government boondoggles include building Air Force One replacements, which are currently billions over budget and years behind schedule, and a return trip by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the moon that is $6 billion over budget and also many years off schedule as a result of mismanagement by NASA and poor performance by contractors.
S. 766 is under consideration by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.